True Crime

Luigi Mangione is back in court, providing the first look at the accused killer after spending the last two months behind bars.

Luigi, the guy who is accused of fatally shooting UnitedHealthCare Group CEO Brian Thompson in Midtown Manhattan, went before a judge Friday in a status hearing in his state case.

It's the first time we've seen Luigi since his December arraignment ... and folks were interested in how he would look after spending the past few months at MDC in Brooklyn, the jail where Diddy is being held pending his own trial.

Luigi Mangione's loyal supporters are now portraying the accused killer as some god-like figure ahead of his court appearance Friday ... they plastered a giant poster of him appearing as an apostle on the side of a New York City building.

Check it out ... the alleged UnitedHealthcare CEO killer is pictured standing in front of a sun wearing a green and white cloak with a red heart on it. Yellow letters reading "FREE LUIGI" are printed across his neck.

Mangione will head to state court Friday afternoon ... marking the first time he will sit before a judge since his arraignment on charges he allegedly shot to death UnitedHealthCare Group CEO Brian Thompson in Midtown Manhattan in December 2024.

Ten people allegedly involved in the brutal beating that ultimately killed inmate Robert Brooks have been charged in connection to the death ... with six of them facing murder charges.

Nicholas Anzalone, David Kingsley, Anthony Farina, Christopher Walrath, Mathew Galliher and an unnamed suspect who hasn't been arraigned yet all face charges of second-degree murder in the violent beating.

Three others -- Michael Mashaw, Michael Fisher and David Walters -- have been charged with manslaughter. Nicholas Gentile has been charged with tampering with physical evidence.

Erik and Lyle Menendez were viciously attacked in the early days of their time in prison, but their lives have radically changed since then.

The Menendez brothers appeared by phone on TMZ's podcast, "2 Angry Men" with Harvey Levin and Mark Geragos, who reps Erik and Lyle. They talked about how they survived and evolved in the 35 years they've been incarcerated.

Erik says he was violently attacked numerous times, but never fought back. He and Lyle were in separate prisons for the first 21 years behind bars, and Erik vividly remembers when he got word his brother had been viciously attacked and suffered a broken jaw.

They are clearly anxious about their re-sentencing hearing next month, where they will learn how they will spend the rest of their lives -- either as prisoners or free men.

Lyle Menendez was constantly injured during his early days in jail, his ex-wife says ... but, he kept a sense of humor through it all and never spilled on exactly what happened to him.

We spoke with Anna Eriksson -- Lyle's wife from 1996 to 2001 -- who tells TMZ she went to visit Lyle quite a bit when he was first incarcerated ... and, he was clearly suffering from a series of injuries when she saw him.

Eriksson says she once saw the white of his eye was blood-red ... and, another time he couldn't even walk properly. Anna says she sent Lyle new shoes but later noticed he was wearing some old ones she didn't recognize -- and, she believes the new ones were taken from him by force.

New twist in the Karen Read case ... the judge just suspended an evidentiary hearing after voicing "grave concern" over new information from prosecutors.

A hearing in Read's retrial was moving along normally Tuesday when suddenly Judge Beverly Cannone called for a recess.

The swift change happened on the heels of special prosecutor Hank Brennan moving to exclude testimony from two crash reconstruction experts who were involved in the federal investigation into her case.

The new Gabby Petito Netflix doc claims to reveal new details about her case ... but her killer’s parents' attorney is shutting that down, saying it's nothing we haven’t already heard.

Steven Bertolino, attorney for Brian Laundrie’s parents, Chris and Roberta, tells TMZ the doc just rehashes what’s already been blasted in the press and in court, but says it's exactly what they expected -- one perspective, twisted into the "truth" from their POV.

He compared it to the constant back-and-forth between Republicans and Democrats, saying each side thinks they’re right, so it's hard to see things from the other viewpoint when there's so much noise and distrust.

We were expecting a raucous retrospective on Sunday night's "Saturday Night Live" 50th Anniversary show ... and one of the hosts ratcheted it up a notch, going straight for the jugular with a lethal observation.

In the opening monologue, Steve Martin introduced comedian John Mulaney, and the two tuxedoed raconteurs reminisced over the many hosts over the years ... with Mulaney observing, "894 people have hosted 'Saturday Night Live,' and it amazes me that only two of them have committed murder."

That brought a mixture of laughter and groans from the audience, and Martin. There have been a few hosts over the years associated with untimely deaths ... but only two of them have actually been charged with murder.

Bryan Kohberger's defense team is "really spinning" in their favor the recent news that blood from two unidentified males was collected from the crime scene where four Idaho students were brutally slain -- but it's all smoke and mirrors, so says Nancy Grace.

TMZ caught up with Nancy on Thursday during a Zoom call, and the famous legal commentator weighed in on the Kohberger murder case in which four University of Idaho students -- three females and one male -- were found fatally stabbed inside a house in 2022.

Specifically, Nancy zeroed in on the big news -- which broke in the media several days ago -- about the blood from two mysterious males found on the handrail of a stairway inside the house and on a glove just outside the residence.

O.J. Simpson's estate is ready to start spring cleaning in a very serious way ... 'cause the executor has proposed a date for the auction to take place -- and, included a list of items that could be on the block.

Malcolm LaVergne -- the special administrator of O.J.'s estate -- and his lawyers are proposing an auction of the late controversial star's personal belongings take place between March 12 and March 29.

The auction -- which will be run by Goldin Auctions LLC, according to the new legal filing -- can be objected to by Simpson's children before February 26.

The Super Bowl is nearly here ... and it seems like nearly everyone is gonna be watching ... even some of the most high-profile celebs in the clink.

TMZ has heard from a variety of sources how the Menendez brothers, Suge Knight, Joe Exotic and even Harvey Weinstein plan on enjoying the big game.

A source within the California Department of Corrections tells TMZ ... Erik and Lyle -- along with the rest of their pod -- are planning on making prison-style fajitas and pizza ... meaning using commissary ingredients.

New footage shows the first peak inside O.J. Simpson's Las Vegas home ... including his deathbed and the stash of personal items going up for auction.

TMZ obtained this video from inside O.J.'s Sin City residence -- filmed shortly after his April 2024 death -- and it shows the hospice bed where he took his last breaths.

The bed will NOT go up for sale, though, since it was taken back by the hospice services after O.J.'s death -- but almost everything else WILL soon go up for auction. Malcolm LaVergne -- the attorney serving as the special administrator of O.J.'s estate -- will attempt to liquidate The Juice's assets to pay back Simpson's creditors.

Gypsy Rose Blanchard has reached a new milestone in her early days as a mom ... her first date night since giving birth!!!

The reality TV star posted to Instagram on Sunday, where she gave a glimpse into her night away from daughter Aurora to enjoy some one-on-one time with fiancé Ken Urker.

Gypsy uploaded a sweet pic of herself cuddling up next to Ken ... in which they wore matching navy and white ensembles for their evening out. Gypsy's look for the date night got a significant amount of praise, with many applauding her white corset top, skirt set and her dark new bob.

Bill Maher's like L.A. wildfire-levels of hot over accused murderer Luigi Mangione becoming a sex symbol and folk hero ... and he says young people who think shooting someone in the back is a good thing, are themselves guilty of something else.

On Friday night's episode of 'Real Time,' Bill scorched supporters of the man charged with murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

Interestingly, he opened his "New Rules" segment by jokingly opining, "One hopeful thing did happen when we were on our break: a health insurance executive got shot in the back on the street in broad daylight" -- at which point, Bill paused and a few people in the audience cheered. Sarcasm ain't for everybody.

Bryan Kohberger is back in court ... appearing before a judge for the first time in 2025 -- and, he looks all cleaned up.

The alleged murderer of four University of Idaho students arrived in a Boise courtroom Thursday ... wearing a full suit and shaving the scruff off his face. Remember, he was sporting a thin beard when his last mug shot was taken in September.

Kohberger appeared solemn during proceedings ... paying close attention while his lawyers argued with the prosecution over potential key pieces of evidence.

The Tennessee school shooter apparently drew his inspiration for his deadly rampage from the likes of Candace Owens and Adolf Hitler -- and he was even photographed doing a Nazi salute.

Solomon Henderson, 17, who fatally shot a 16-year-old student and injured two others at Antioch High School in Nashville -- posed for a picture mimicking the dead German Nazi leader, which is downright chilling considering Henderson's age and his vicious crimes.

Police say they are investigating an expansive online manifesto purportedly written by Henderson to determine his motive. The massive document includes statements such as “race mixing” and “take revenge," as well as Hitler references and notations about previous school shootings.